Playdate Blues *Updated
Oldest has a playdate tomorrow at our house with his best friend. We're still getting our feet wet in this area so I don't know all the etiquette yet. My idea was that I would pick both boys up from school and have Mom pick her son up a few hours later. I wasn't sure if she would be okay with this since they have never been to our house and she's never seen me drive. We've been to their home, though. When I spoke to Mom she said she would drop her son off and "they" would stay for about an hour. This means I have to entertain her for an hour. She's very nice and pleasant, for sure. She entertained me for an hour at their home but it was small talk and I felt uncomfortable and wanted to avoid that this time around. I don't like small talk. Now I have to do this again. And I won't be able to catch up on folding laundry, that was my plan. GRRRRRRR.
I did find an interesting site on playdates though. It has tips and ideas for fun playdates. I'll have to check it out and see if they have any ideas on how I can entertain my guest.
I am pleased to report that the playdate actually went better than planned! Actually, I think it went great! In anticipation of avoiding the uncomfortable small talk, I had three planned activities for everyone. First, we made smoothies (Oldest loves cooking), then the boys planted some seeds in pots that Oldest picked. And last but not least, we were outside riding PowerWheels. We were so busy, there was no time for the awkward silences. Most importantly, the kids had a great time.
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Mamalaw is a group blog about three moms and wives who just happen to be lawyers too. We have seven kids between us which means that we have no shortage of funny stories, touching moments, reasons to rant and the occasional kernel of parenting wisdom. In our "spare time," we founded 
6 comments:
I'm so glad to be passed those days! Mom/child playdates were great when I was friends with the mom, but otherwise, as you say, they can be so awkward and uncomfortable. Good luck!
How old is your oldest? I'm so happy to almost be done with all of that (my youngest is 4). It's fine with my friends who have kids, but I also can't stand the awkward chitchat of hanging out with a mom I don't know. I also think some moms are way more overprotective, and feel the need to stay even though I might think the kids are old enough to be dropped off. It's such a slippery slope.
I remember those days of having to entertain on playdates. Now the kids just come and go. I'm not antisocial or anything, but sometimes it's just easier to let the kids go play.
how did it go??
honestly, i would have made a pitcher of lemonade, set out some refreshments and said "you don't mind if i fold some laundry while we chat, do you?" i totally wouldn't mind if the tables were turned. but that's just me.
Ugh. I've never made a playdate for my kids if I didn't already know the mom fairly well. I don't think I could do the entertaining of a new mom along with trying to keep my kids from fighting over the kid.
Ok- the funny thing about all of this is, kids need to play and develop socially. For the kids who do not make the friend connections, playdates are really important. For moms, playdates can be challenging with no time at all for simple chores, or down time...so the entertaining thing gets to be an extra chore. Sometimes, it's just great to set a little bit of time
aside and hang out with friends and show kids how to engage other people in conversation and build relationships. Yes, I agree, www.funplaydates.com is a great resource.
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